This year's return of the Mets to Fenway in inter-league play and the first return of Pedro Martinez since he moved from the Red Sox were celebrated before last night's game with a presentation I caught on NESN of the great Sox players of the 1986 series in which Boston collapsed and the Mets won. There they were, older versions of Wage Boggs, Jim Rice and Dwight Evans on the green grass in front of the green monster again. You may recall Canada had a large emotional investment in the Mets in that World Series due to the trade of Gary Carter, the backbone and catcher of the Expos - who themselves missed the World Series in 1981 by one pitching the ninth by ace Steve Rogers thus creating the world wide phenomena of being depressed on Monday.

But what you really will recall is Bill Buckner. For twenty years so much of the blame has been placed on him for letting a ball go through his legs. Never mind that the pitching collapsed. Never mind that it was not the winning play that gave the Mets the Series. I was listening to Paul Sullivan on WBZ radio last night and a phone-in on remembering the World Series and was quite shocked to learn that the 22 season player had more lifetime hits at 2715 than Ted Williams (19 seasons - 2654 hits) or Joe Dimaggio (13 years - 2214 hits). But no one remembers how great he was, how (kinda like David Wells last year) the Sox would not have been in the post season with out him and his 168 hits. No, we just remember just his part in a bigger collapse and make it alone the collapse.

So when Pedro (who is by the evidence a hell of a guy) takes the mound at Fenway tonight, Buckner won't likely give a rats ass. Unlike the other players on the '86 Sox he has the dignity to not wave at the fans who booed him and blamed him, who cheered Bob Stanley last night and the others who played a larger part in the loss of the World Series and the making of a scapegoat out of Buckner. Good for Bill.